Co-ordinating co-ordination: The European Commission and the culture Open Method of Co-ordination

This article examines the role of the European Commission in non-legislative policy co-ordination in the European Union. Using the Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC) in the oft-neglected sector of cultural policy as a case study, it argues that rather than a neutral facilitator as it appears on paper, the Commission occupies both a political and administrative leadership role in the operation of the culture OMC. Through analysis of policy documentation, interviews and non-participant observation material, the article demonstrates how the Commission has operated as a key driver and agenda-setter in the field, exposing the inter-institutional dynamics in a competence in which the EU has a supporting role. The findings thus have broader implications for the study of agenda-setting and European integration in policy sectors where the EU holds a supporting competence.